Taking part in Saturday’s seven-game NFL preseason slate, the Los Angeles Rams will face the Kansas City Chiefs.
Since 2019, the Rams have been in the Super Bowl twice, winning once, while the Chiefs have represented the AFC five times and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy three times. That Patrick Mahomes guy is pretty, pretty good, but he’s coming off a knee injury, and the recent production trend doesn’t look friendly, as both the yardage and passing touchdowns have decreased in each of the last three seasons. That said, he’s still Patrick Mahomes. Matthew Stafford led the league in both passing yards (4,707) and touchdowns (47) last season, but he threw 20 and 24 touchdowns the prior two seasons. Outlier poised for regression?
Looking at the odds for the preseason matchup, the Chiefs enter as 2.5-point favorites with -130 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Rams are +110 to pull off the upset, with the game total set at 35.5 points.
Rams at Chiefs prediction, pick
Los Angeles Rams preview
The Rams are primed for another Super Bowl run, with playmakers on both sides of the ball. DraftKings Sportsbook currently has Los Angeles as the heavy favorite at +550 to win it all. Sean McVay is usually conservative during the preseason, but even more so now, as this team is filled with aged vets that don’t need meaningless reps. As a result, we’ll see a lot of rookies and young players.
Surprising first-round pick, quarterback Ty Simpson will likely see plenty of snaps in this one, but McVay announced that Stetson Bennett will get the starting nod. Bennett has not entered an NFL game yet after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, but he has extensive preseason experience, starting six of seven games and completing 62.1% of his passes for 1,296 yards and eight touchdowns. That experience and production should help the Rams offense maintain drives and possibly put up points.
And there could be some interesting weapons at his disposal. Davante Adams, Puka Nacua, Jordan Whittington, Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee likely won’t see any action, which means Konata Mumpfield, CJ Daniels, Terrance Ferguson and Max Klare could see plenty of opportunities.
Ferguson and Klare are athletic tight ends that were selected in the second round in the last two drafts. Mumpfield flashed at moments last season, catching 10 of 23 targets for 92 yards and a touchdown. Adams also had positive things to say about Mumpfield heading into this season. Daniels doesn’t have high draft capital on his side, as he was selected with the 197th overall pick, but the Rams traded up for him late in the draft, and he’s a good route runner with a high football IQ.
At running back, we won’t be seeing Kyren Williams or Blake Corum. Instead, Ronnie Rivers, Jarquez Hunter, Jordan Waters and Dean Connors should see the bulk of the carries. This will be season five for Rivers, and he has rushed 72 times for 295 yards while hauling in 15 of 16 targets for 85 yards in the NFL. In preseason action, Rivers has carried 25 times for 114 yards. Hunter was selected in the 2025 draft and rushed 33 times for 110 yards during the preseason last year. Both Waters and Connors went undrafted.
Kansas City Chiefs preview
As with the Rams, Kansas City has Lombardi aspirations, so the starters likely won’t be playing in this one.
With Patrick Mahomes recovering from an injury, the backup quarterback battle takes on extra significance. Justin Fields was acquired in a trade. Garrett Nussmeier was drafted in the seventh round, and Chris Oladokun has been a Chief the last two seasons.
The big bugaboo for Fields is accuracy in the passing game, but he has extensive NFL experience and is a major threat on the ground. With the defense likely to be vanilla, Fields should thrive. In 13 preseason games, Fields has completed 81 of 124 passes for 944 yards with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also rushed 35 times for 197 yards and two touchdowns. In 59 NFL games, Fields has completed 61.4% of his passes for 9,039 yards, 52 touchdowns, and 32 interceptions, while rushing 489 times for 2,892 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Nussmeier was once thought of as one of the best quarterback options in the draft, but then struggled last season in college and dealt with an injury. Unlike Wilson, Nussmeier is a pocket passer and could be a better fit in an Andy Reid offense.
Oladokun started two games last season and went 35-for-55 with 235 yards and a touchdown without throwing an interception. He also rushed five times for 18 yards. Oladokun has appeared in nine preseason games, going 49-of-82 for 551 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing 11 times for 93 yards.
At wide receiver, Cyrus Allen has been the talk of camp. It will be interesting to see whether Andy Reid gives him reps to develop or shelves him because he knows what he has. If he plays, the offense potentially has juice. Without him, the other options at wide receiver and tight end are meh at best, although Jalen Royals (fourth-round selection in 2025) has been doing some things in practice.
At running back, Emmett Johnson, Brashard Smith, Jaydn Ott and EJ Smith should get the bulk of the carries. Johnson was the fifth-round selection in the most recent draft and, while he doesn’t possess blazing speed, he’s a decisive runner and can do things in the passing game. Brashard Smith blazes with a 4.39 40-yard dash and played in 17 games last season, rushing 44 times for 151 yards while catching 25 of 35 targets for 172 yards and a touchdown. Ott went undrafted in the 2026 draft and played at Oklahoma last season. EJ Smith also went undrafted and played at Texas A&M. EJ is the son of Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.
Ram at Chiefs best bet
I think the Rams will have more weapons in the passing game, but the quarterback situation is more murky. The Chiefs have better options under center, but fewer options in the passing game. That said, both offenses should move the ball and be productive, given vanilla defenses and excellent offensive coaches. Whether they score points or not is the question, but I think the over hits. One variable that caught my attention was that the forecast is expected to be in the high-90s. That should affect defenses more than offenses.
